Shakshuka aka Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce is a splendid breakfast that will have you soaking up the sauce with bread!
I had been wanting to try out this recipe for eons. The hardest bit, was finding a great recipe that wasn’t twelve pages long with ingredients. As usual, Ottolenghi did it again. Although this time, he did it through his meat heavy cookbook Jerusalem, which I love.
Eggs poached in a spicy tomato and red pepper sauce, topped with yogurt and mopped up with bread = one of the easiest and tastiest breakfasts you’ll ever make. I first made this on Christmas Day morning for 7 adults and two babies. The pan was basically licked clean.
My main point has to be that the effort is ridiculously low for such a high delicious reward. Making anything on Christmas morning is a stretch goal, but this is certainly worth the minimal effort. Delicious for breakfast, but an amazing dinner as well.
If you don’t have any Harissa paste, in lieu add the following: 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, 1 tsp turmeric, and 1 tsp paprika. Really great additions include topping with feta or a bit of grated parmesan (added at the end), 1 cup of coarsely chopped spinach or kale (added immediately before the eggs), shallots (added with peppers), or saffron (added with other spices).
Here are a few more favourite breakfast and brunch dishes:
- Breakfast Slab Pie
- Peaches and Cinnamon Granola with Panna Cotta Yogurt
- Vanilla Bourbon Pear Baby Dutch Pancake
Shakshuka aka Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce is a splendid breakfast that will have you soaking up the sauce with bread!
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 5 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
- 1-3 tbsp Harissa paste* (spicy, add more if you like it fairly spicy)
- 1 1/5 tsp ground cumin
- 2 large red bell peppers, chopped into small pieces, about 1 cm chunks
- 1 400 ml can of diced tomatoes
- 4 to 8 large eggs
- 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup thick plain Greek yogurt
- 1 loaf warmed crusty bread
- salt and pepper to season
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Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add tomato paste, garlic, Harissa paste, cumin, and red peppers. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 7-10 minutes until peppers have softened. Add tomatoes to the pan. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes.
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Spread the sauce evenly on the bottom of the pan and create small divots for your eggs. The number of divots will depend upon how many you’re serving. Crack and gently place an egg into each divot and allow to poach for 7-10 more minutes until eggs whites are set and yolks have reached desired doneness. if you’d like to speed this last step up, place a lid over your pan; it will only take 4-5 minutes to cook the eggs. Sprinkle parsley over eggs and sauce.
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To serve add sauce and eggs to shallow bowls. Serve alongside yogurt and bread.
- harissa is a spicy chilli paste that can be found in the spice aisle of some grocery stores.
Adapted from Jerusalem by Yotam Ottolenghi
Enjoy! xo
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